Wednesday, September 13, 2006

hamburg diaries...

It has been pretty long since I updated my blog... Everything happening to me is new and am exploring this part of the world with child like curiosity.

Okay let me confess you that am flattered by the place..things move here fast.The cars..the trains..even the mails..

My first international flight from Mumbai to Paris was in itself a experience exemplified. The French airhostess left me in no doubt why they are a admired lot.With great difficulty I began to eat continental food with dangling forks and knives with as much élan as possible..U guessed it right ..I failed miserably in that.I slept hardly for a few hours through the nine hour flight as those adrenalin rushes kept me awake most of the time.It was fun operating all those electronic gizmos in the aircraft.A novice like me had to do some peeping act to see how they operate em..After catching a few naps I woke up in the wee hours of the morning..Boy ..it was a spectacular sight watching sunrise in some Scandinavian country from top of the world..The flight from Paris to Hamburg wasn’t nothing much to talk about.

Then finally the next day afternoon I set foot on hamburg..SO just like Neil Armstrong said a few years back..A small step for me but I giant leap for my lofty dreams!!

Out of the airport I waved for a TAAASKII!!!An absolute shocker it was when a E class Merc landed in front of me.And then my gyan revealed that germans are too rich to use any less a car for taxi.After getting all comfy in my hotel room I began exploring the place.Within 24 hours I learnt a lot of things…

1) Germans drink more beer than water. Scientists reveal of high concentration of beer in the Rhine.
2) 99% of Germans smoke..The government has replaced buses and trains with hydrogen powered engines to reduce pollutions..But smokers more than make up for their efforts.
3) You are expected to blurt “thank you” for every silly help you get. I have said more pleasantries in 1 week than what I have said in a year.
4) Everything runs on time here.Dont expect your bus to come 10 seconds late.Transport is run so godamn perfectly here.
5) Germans wear anything to office..Poor us have to look professional!!
6) For every Man there is a prostitute..Here its legal!!For god sake this place is either way ahead of civilization or ages behind.
7) I saw beggars in Hamburg..Our India is not bad..
8) Was absolutely shocked when I found people don’t us orkut.com,espnstar.com,yahoo.com or any popular site during working hours..They really work when they are at work!!
9) This place is the second biggest port in Europe and second largest city in Germany.Everything looks like old fashioned buildings from outside ,but all of em are state of the art inside..Did a ferry cruise of the city on day 2 itself.
10) And finally hamburg has nothing to do with hamburger..
I have moved over to a house from the hotel..I found a cool Indian roommate as well!!
Its pretty cold out here and it should snowing sometime in october..Thats the part am looking forward too..

Till then ..

Ein schoenen Tag noch!!! :)

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

hamburg is great!!

Its ironic that i took a sarcastic take on s/w industry few weeks back..And now am in hamburg ,Germany for project work.This is my first onsite assignment and am pretty apprehensive of this new land..new people..new culture..And i finally told myself ..Am going places!!! :)

Will update more on German stories once I settle down..Sorry for the delay in updating the blog..

Happy onam for my mallu brethren!!